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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28307547">Citrus coffee...</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/KimEuien/pseuds/KimEuien'>KimEuien</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>bts, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Jeon Jungkook &amp; Kim Taehyung | V are Siblings, Jeon Jungkook &amp; Park Jimin are Best Friends, M/M, lots of tangerines, mention of long hair jk, taehyung is a little evil here</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:13:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,642</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28307547</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/KimEuien/pseuds/KimEuien</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Christmas is a little lonely for Jungkook but tangerines and a little Christmas miracle help him out!!<br/>Also thanks a lot to Jari for being the best helper out there! Check out her amazing work under SnowStormSkies for AO3 and @caramelgrind on twitter!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jeon Jungkook/Min Yoongi | Suga</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Citrus coffee...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnight_lunaaa/gifts">midnight_lunaaa</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p>Snowflakes mingled with the warm sighs of the people embracing the coming winter along with the snow covering up all the sins of the past, making everything look pure. ‘Cuz this season sings about purity and love. Long gone are the days of sweltering heat. Bye bye crunchy leaves! We shared warmth by hugs and holding hands but, for single people like Jungkook, jackets tried their best to faux love him. Don’t pity him, dear reader. He’s too busy to find someone as the idea of “ Love in first sight” seemed alien to him.<br/>
Pumpkin lattes got replaced by hot cocoa. Just like he tried to exchange the thoughts of loneliness with newspaper cuttings of job offers. Leaving Busan was not easy. But surviving all alone in Seoul seemed harder. Jungkook's friends and family probably were getting ready to celebrate the Christmas which was approaching soon. And poor little Jungkook sulked alone in his make do apartment<br/>
“Now this isn’t the Christmas spirit! Cheer up!” another banner tried to shout it out in the pretext of selling gifts. Maybe his work here in the café will last one more month. Not that he complained. But yes, he ranted about it to his friends over video calls sometimes. The topper of his school was now unemployed just because he missed the interview that day. And now he couldn’t find anything that appeals to him. At least the coffee place had a few people who took care of him. It was owned and run by an old aunt, and her son, Jimin. Every part of it radiated warmth enveloping those who came inside. With wooden floors and a smiling motherly figure to welcome and charm everybody who enters, it had been wonderful to work here. Jungkook learned all the drinks, too, each one unique in its own way: Americano, lattes, espresso.</p><p>Jimin approached him with a pen drive.<br/>
“ What?”<br/>
“ It’s Christmas week! What’s Christmas without a Christmas playlist?”, Jimin beamed handing it to him.<br/>
Jungkook huffed and dragged himself to the player.<br/>
“Last Christmas? Amazing. Couldn’t find anything else?” he turned his head to the little mochi unamused.<br/>
“It’s the Korean jam! Now don’t ruin the patriotic spirit” Jimin pouted.<br/>
He didn’t hate Christmas. He just wasn’t particularly happy about it. Who should he buy personalized gifts for? Sing carols with? Or share a meal and meet Santa in the mall? No one to watch the sappy, cute Christmas movies, dancing stupidly on his snow covered roof while listening to new Christmas songs singers released this time of the year was also a part of his list. His lips drooped down further. Leaning on his hand on the counter, he glanced out.<br/>
The beautiful red and white lights covered the trees nearby as people walked underneath them, some took their photos there and others liked to take that memory in their minds instead. He focused on the one tree across the street that had more white lights than others. He used to watch it every evening when the cafe was about to close as there was a nest up that tree once. He watched the birds grow up and fly away but he was a little attached to the tree by then. As he saw everyone walk past it, someone stopped underneath it. He stood underneath the tree and yet he didn't take any photos of anyone, he wasn’t harming the tree either. He just stood there but was still a little hidden by the constant crowd of people moving around. He never was the one to get confused easily. But this was the best exception. He walked towards the glass to get a better look at the unusual person.</p><p>A little ball of white puffer jacket and a red Santa cap was handing out orange things. Were they tangerines? Wait what? Tangerines? Who hands out a single piece of fruit to people?  Mint hair strands peeked out of the cap and covered his forehead making him look cuter, sweeter and innocent. A gummy smile, red boopable nose chilling in the winter on a cute huggable body. Jungkook thought that probably his jacket would bunch up between Jungkook’s arms and his eyes would crinkle like little crescent moons ,he seems like a perfect height for forehead kisses, too. W-What? Now his mind was playing tricks with him. Sure , he was cute and he was adorable. But Jungkook wasn’t desperate, he was just curious about that snowball kid. He let go of the thoughts of the boy when the café was approaching the time of closing and the boy went away with his brown shoulder bag jiggling, probably filled with the remaining tangerines or some other fruits.<br/>
Who was he kidding? He thought about him at night too. He thought of his smile when he walked home, thought of his cute little hands when he wore his pajamas, also thinking how he would look in cotton bottoms and imagined about his hair fluttering in the wind in his sleep. Well, it was progress at the very least. Instead of worrying over his interviews, he dreamt about the little fluff. Drinking wine in front of the fireplace every evening after work, cuddling him each night, sharing the blanket and snoozing the alarm while groaning together, getting all worked up by his simple smile. And best of all, holding his little finger and taking him through the public as if showing off his luck, getting someone so precious.</p><p>The dawn broke into a morning waking everyone up. Some people were grouchy and some were still sleepy. Jungkookie stretched out his arm over his eyes in annoyance. The blue curtains not doing a great job in blocking the light and body still begging for more sleep isn’t his best way of waking up. The alarm blaring out sounds of fake birds and pretending like it’s a great way to wake up finally got him awake. He finally got up, dragged his body for a shower and got dressed up. The traffic was terrible but it was not as bad usual so he was fine with a casual slower walk to the cafe.<br/>
With hands warming up continuously by serving warm beverages to the growing crowd, Jungkook’s break approached sooner than thought. The day continued to get coloured further in reds and whites with occasional hues of others colours. Grabbing his bagel, he went to the park down the road. Children frolicking more with the winter break announced in schools. People wrapped up in thick coats,long scarfs and hats, toddling like little penguins with wool around their necks. The bushes being used to play hide and seek with dogs and children, like castles of fun. He sat down on a bench to enjoy his hobby of people watching, something he rarely got to do these days. Being busy around the cafe, looking for jobs and living alone in an apartment which needed repairs frequently was quite time consuming and so he had no time to spend leisurely. An old woman was sipping alcohol from her flask while sitting beside an old transistor radio. A boy was failing to catch up to his energetic dog.<br/>
And a boy in a red Santa hat was waving at a group of people while showing his back to him.</p><p>The brown bag on his back seemed familiar. His suspicions were confirmed when he turned around to hand out tangerines. Again? A couple posed with him trying to take a selca. And that gummy smile gleamed out, like little pearls on a red sweater. He went near him out of curiosity, pretending to pet a dog nearby. The old transistor radio began playing songs for everyone to enjoy; perhaps the old woman had finished her rum and now wanted a dose of fun with some songs.<br/>
“ Baby, I'm dancing in the dark, with you between my arms<br/>
Barefoot on the grass, listenin' to our favourite song<br/>
When I saw you in that dress, looking so beautiful<br/>
I don't deserve this, darling, you look perfect tonight…”</p><p> </p><p>“ Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!” a small voice said. Jungkook broke out of his trance of pretending when the boy held out the fruit to him. “Since you look like you’re my age, here’s another one for you!” , he said. Each sweater paw held out a piece of fruit. Jungkook looked at him from top to the bottom. A blue sweater enveloped his entire torso, and then some - it almost reached mid-thigh. It was an oversized turtleneck with white writing that made his face look so small. Simple sneakers and jeans completed the clean look.<br/>
“Don’t like tangerines?” he asked, tilting his head, hands still outstretched. A pout forming on his face melted Kook’s heart.<br/>
“ No, I do! I’m just confused about why you gift everyone these citruses…” , he tried to explain.<br/>
“Ah! My grandma used to love tangerines and she used to make these candies of them and give out to everyone. I’m not good at making candies so I give them fruit. It still makes people smile!” he grinned, looking at the fruit still in his hand.<br/>
Jungkook swore that he could just die then and there. He quickly grabbed the tangerines and smiled at him. “Merry Christmas to you too!” he smiled lightly and turned around. When he was a few feet away, he turned around again. “ Nice hat by the way…”. The boy waved him goodbye beaming.<br/>
Jungkook walked back to the cafe, with two tangerines in his pocket and earphones plugged in to cancel out the world for a while, as his break had ended and people wanted their orders quicker.Jimin was standing behind the cash counter and waved at Jungkook when he saw him. Honestly, Jungkook wasn’t particularly a fan of sour things. He gave them to Jimin instead. One for him and another for aunt park. He was so unfocused, still thinking about the Santa hat boy, he dropped them unintentionally.<br/>
“ What are you thinking about? You know that it’s not good to be so worried about a job. Have a cupcake instead. Maybe that will hel…”, Jimin said.<br/>
“Jimin. I wasn’t worried about my job. I’m happy here.”<br/>
“Then what is it?”<br/>
“I stumbled upon an interesting figure.”<br/>
“Who was it? Was it a boy? A cutie pie?” he quickly scooted his chair over to him. His body radiated curiosity in waves.<br/>
That was when Jungkook realized that he forgot to ask the boy’s name. He facepalmed himself mentally and squinted his eyes in annoyance.<br/>
“I don’t know his name.”</p><p> </p><p>Days flew past in the same pattern. Alarms, serving crowds coffee, getting stuck in traffic and the same old music playlist in the café.The park started to get more crowded with kids and old people. His fridge at home was now empty, exhausted of all decent food, and his supply of ramen cups was running low. It was time to go shopping.<br/>
Glass door opened up to welcome him into aisles of food and gifts. The walls were covered with fairy lights and the shop looked proud of its red, green and golden makeover. And still that one wheel of the shopping cart didn’t care, announcing his travels into each aisle with a squeaky rattle. It annoyed Jungkook even more. He wanted to go back home, watch some movies, drink some coffee and sleep, so going out to a mart hungry and with a loud trolley wasn’t particularly a fun activity. In the end, in the middle of the bakery aisle, he shoved the cart away because he couldn’t take the noise anymore.<br/>
A squeak fell on his ears as he turned his head to see someone fallen down and his cart nearby. Thankfully, there was nobody else there to scold him. Jungkook rushed to help him out only to hear the guy laughing loudly. Kook was confused as hell whether to feel guilty about hitting him or to wonder why the guy was laughing like that. He went around the cart to see who it was. It was the tangerine boy. “ You! Are you alright?” Jungkook asked. He wondered if the injury was to the tangerine boy’s head and it was more serious than it looked.<br/>
“ Don’t worry about it, I’m fine.”, the boy said standing up on his own.<br/>
“Mind if I ask why you were laughing?”<br/>
“ Well. I wasn’t able to make a choice between these cookies. I hate raisins but I haven’t tried oatmeal before so I wasn’t sure about it. I jokingly asked God that he should hit me with a damn loud sign if raisins is the answer for me. And the cart was the sign!”<br/>
Now Jungkook was much more baffled about this weird person.<br/>
“I’m Yoongi by the way.”<br/>
“J-J-Jungkook” he stuttered, feeling happy inside, now that he had finally learnt his name and could put the blame of having multiple thoughts about him on a name. Yoongi. That sounded nice.<br/>
Yoongi’s sharp cat-like eyes smiled at his name. “Cute. I’ll see you later then?” He turned around to leave, his black jumper looking graceful on him.<br/>
Jungkook’s rumbling stomach dragged him out of the place and rushed to the café. Enjoying his favourite mocha and a slice of plum cake made the day seem better. Pentatonix’s Away in a Manger humming silently in the background as the afternoon peace came to an end.<br/>
It was getting busier outside and inside, with the crowd of couples, groups of friends, mothers treating their kids with donuts and the regulars with their earphones in and typing away to get the job done, probably hoping to get a break before Christmas. With only 5 days left to Christmas eve, even the air was starting to feel festive. Jungkook looked at the friends as they hugged each other happily and laughing happily and the lovers shyly holding hands as they smiled at the matching outfits they shared. The radio switched to  All I Want For Christmas is You.<br/>
He glanced down at his hands and remembered how his brother dragged him across the park to climb the hill and look at the city on Christmas eve. The beautiful city line, snow slowly covering the city , warm mist blowing out of their mouths as they huffed and puffed, tired from running all the way up. Looking at each other and grinning from ear to ear. Forgetting all about school, classmates, quarrels at home and just living in the moment. Their red and green gloves sharing warmth, fingers intertwined, telling each other that they won’t let go. Taehyung was a liar. He let go of Jungkook’s hand soon, real soon. Next year he left for Daegu in order to pursue his modelling career. And didn’t return for Chuseok, new year or Christmas. He claimed to be too tied up in his work. Too busy for his own brother.<br/>
He tried to go up the hill all these years again and again, alone. Hands cold and words of comfort left unsaid and unheard by anyone. The city full of people seemed lonelier to him. Like everyone had no one to laugh with. As if they slept without someone on their beds, crying silently. Just because Jungkook was all lonely, he saw everyone in sadness and loneliness.<br/>
He didn’t realise he was crying, a drop of water on his palm told him that. Wiping his eyes with the back of his hand he went in the kitchen to help aunt park with the donuts. Might as well seem of some worth to someone. That was all fine until he got a call. He saw the name on the screen on his phone and his heart skipped a beat, desperation flooding him.<br/>
Kim Taehyung.<br/>
“ Hyung?” Jungkook hoped his brother would come to meet him this time. He was this close to leaving everything here in Seoul to just spend one day with him.<br/>
“ Hello Kook! How’s everything in Seoul?  Have you started working anywhere?”<br/>
“Yeah! Just in a café near my house till I get a good job. Jimin and his mother are the owners and they treat me really well. His thoughts turned back to the mountain, and he looked out of the window. “When are you coming back to Busan? It’s been so long since we went up the Jangsan mountain.”<br/>
“ Umm. About that… I can’t come this year. But don’t worry! I will send you a nice postcard ! You probably have a ton of friends now. Go clubbing , drink beer or go to a karaoke. You sing well ! No need to call me for a formality now. I’m sure you have a lover by now, spend this Christmas with them. Song-nim promised me a good contract for a sports company. If I get it, your brother will be famous! Won't you feel proud to have a famous brother? Then we will have paparazzi going around us and you will have thousands of followers on social media! And I might get a good apartment as well…”<br/>
“ You don’t care about others . Stop strangling me in your lies about fame. You are interested only in your work and have forgotten about family. What about me?! Jangsan was our spot! You promised me that you would come to see me with long hair last year! I didn’t cut it since and now I tie it in a ponytail just to show you! When mom and dad separated, you told me that you would come to meet me and we would light candles in Jangsan as a sign of brotherhood. I was alone for months, waited for you to come meet me and hold my hand every time mom hung up my call or dad was too busy with his soju. I was all alone in a cramped apartment, saving money so that when you come back to Busan, I would treat you with all the best places just to see you smile, because that would make me smile. If that useless job makes you smile more, then I am worthless for you.  I am a fool to believe that you would keep your promise. Merry Christmas!” Jungkook hung up the call, angry and, most of all, disappointed. It had been four years since he joined the café and yet Taehyung didn’t bother to call him anytime except on festivals. Last year he didn’t call him at all. A call to mom was enough, it seemed. His recently dried tears threatened to pour out again. His precious brother, who once knew why he preferred his pancakes with whipped cream more than chocolate, now didn’t even know where he was working.<br/>
It hurt him more when the previous call was from Jimin’s mother asking him to take some cookies for himself. A call so loving and caring for someone who wasn’t even in any relation with her. But she was like his mother who held tight more times than anyone else. She was proud when he made the latte art well and his biological mother was busy sitting at home and listening to the radio mumble words of religion and life.<br/>
He went out to serve the hot latte to the customers when he accidentally spilled it on himself as he slipped on the freshly mopped floor, thus scalding himself and getting scolded by the regulars waiting for their orders. People are busy and work like ants or even more, coffee is their fuel and if any person fails to provide them their fuel, they surely will scold him. And so Jungkook faced their wrath regardless of having sore hands and a teary face. Cursing himself and walking inside to wash the stickiness away, he looked at himself in the mirror, apron under the chilling cold water and knuckles turning white. Red eyes, swollen cheeks and grim face look at the little chubby, bunny toothed and bambi eyed kid he was before. Soap slipping out from his hand and falling on the floor somehow made him sadder.<br/>
“Relationships are like a thread,' they say. I don’t believe it. Relationships are like soap.”, Jimin said, emerging out from the kitchen, as he bent down and picked it up for Jungkook. “Sometimes bubbly and happy, sometimes dry or without any joy ,other times cleaning off the dirt, forgetting others sins, doing their duty of loving. But when you grip it tight enough trying to get the most out of it…”<br/>
Jimin squeezed the soap in his palm slightly and it slipped down, getting dirty on the floor even more. The floor wasn’t dirty at all but Jungkook imagined it to be so.<br/>
“… it slips away and leaves you only a mess.”<br/>
“ What?”<br/>
“ Stop pressuring your brother so much. He might leave you for better otherwise. He has his own life and his own dreams.”<br/>
“ I’m not asking him to leave everything and come to me! I’m just asking him for one day, what’s wrong with that? How am I to blame here?” Jungkook lashed out. Here he was, washing his sticky apron in a bathroom, wanting to get some rest. Not to listen Jimin pour out his opinions on a topic he didn’t know anything about.<br/>
“Your problem, not mine.”<br/>
“ Exactly!”<br/>
The stains of the creamer didn’t leave the apron, unlike his brother. Sadness makes everyone feel poetic, and Jungkook is no different. So, if he makes analogies of his misery with even the slightest annoying issue, it’s not his fault. At least just sitting silently in the kitchen with a wet apron and wet eyes won’t make him a victim of anymore unsolicited opinions .<br/>
Sad and tired, he opted to leave the café early, passing the park and going home. Families were sitting happily on the park benches, surrounded by snow, and enjoying the weekend. Kids were running around playing catch as their parents told them to come join them for dinner. They smiled at each other enjoying each other’s presence. His chest hurt. He wanted to shout out to them that this is just fake. That this won’t last long. And that they should invest in something else instead. “Try living in a faulty apartment! That is better than being near liars!”, he wanted to shout loudly but kept quiet. At least Jimin’s mother said that she cared. He felt so heartbroken and miserable that even white lies of someone caring for him seemed to help.<br/>
Their pranks on their mother and getting scolded together, making goofy faces at the animals in the zoo  ( the elephant was their favourite) felt like a dream to him now. Worse. It felt like a nightmare. He wasn’t sad because his brother couldn’t come to meet him. He was sad that his brother valued something so trivial over him and instead of explaining why, he made lies over and over on how it would help him. Jungkook didn’t need no money or fame from his brother. He was satisfied in what he earned and will earn on his own. But his brother had become greedy enough to place his unstable work before his family. Where was the Christmas spirit? Christmas meant valuing loved ones and thanking God for it.<br/>
His parents divorcing was a big blow to Taehyung and Jungkook knew that. He boarded the first train to Daegu and left the teary kid behind under the excuse that he needed time to meet up with the people and the vibes of Daegu so that he could look like a local in the interview the month later. The truth was that Taehyung didn’t want to live with his parents anymore. As their parents quarrelled, Jungkook used to try to sneak in chocolates to his brother’s room to lighten his mood. Taehyung was particularly affected by the fights and Jungkook was affected by his sadness. The next year when he returned, Jungkook found that he had changed. He smoked cigarettes quite often, became rude and completely forgot his innocent boxy smile, preferring useless smirks now. His loving and respectful brother was lost somewhere.<br/>
As he went past the park, he saw someone crouching on the ground shaking lightly just near the fence. Since it was dark and pretty covered by bushes, he couldn’t see much but he felt like that person was crying. He went closer to the fence and found cats surrounding the guy. Some licking themselves, some purring and playing on the ground. A cat climbed up on his shoulder and he turned his head to look at it.<br/>
It was Yoongi playing around with them. Laughing while his body accompanied him. So that explains the shaking. Cats rubbing themselves on his body and he petted as many heads as he could. His gummy smile, chubby cheeks and smiling small eyes made him look no less than a Ragdoll cat. Jungkook was sure he could imagine him with his furry tail swishing around happily and that made him crack a small smile.<br/>
Yoongi looked so small and carefree of the world, Jungkook found it really difficult not to put him in his pocket and try to save him from the world. Not wanting to ruin his happy atmosphere and scare the cats away, he silently walked on. The road he usually took, had an orange flickering street light like always. The run-down store with its door always closed since it went bankrupt and the trash cans lying on the road with their insides falling out as dogs tried to enjoy their pitiful food all seemed much more dejected today. Jungkook liked the store’s crème donuts and watching the old owners closing the place and walking away as the stray animals tried to pry in the door to get something, was a similar scene like today. Miserable and helpless.<br/>
To all the people who used passcodes for their houses, Jungkook wanted to tell desperately, the struggle of a bent key and rusty lock is real. This house needed a new couch more than a plumber or an electrician. English literature books under its legs and two holes from where the cushion peeked out and one wobbly armrest was in a desperate need of replacement.<br/>
Usually this wasn’t a huge issue to Kookie, but the happiness of others made him feel worse. Perhaps that was the Christmas spirit for him! Feeling jealous and miserable while silently munching on rice Krispies and watching Avengers repeatedly, silently smiling to himself thinking about cats and crying about human relations. He had planned on having milk too but then he heard the doorbell ring, when he stood up from his crying nest to open the door, he found only bills that needed to be paid by the month end.<br/>
This was the last straw for him today. He had dreamt of watching the city line of Seoul with his brother from his big house, when in reality he was watching dogs barking at each other through his window. Absolutely perfect. He clutched his chest in anger and gritted his teeth, trying to hold the ever-pouring tears. The only candle he had lit to feel the festive mood was lying on the floor wondering what its fault was. Probably his owner didn’t like the chocolate scent. Thinking that, it put out its fire.</p><p>It was late noon when Jungkook woke up from his ‘post crying sleep’ with slightly swollen eyes and found himself on the floor. The couch had collapsed completely and he had fallen down in his sleep. Which is better? Being woken up by pretentious alarms or aching back ache and swollen eyes? Jungkook would say waking up is the worst. Normally a person would ask for a break from his job after something like this. Not Jungkook. He firmly believed that no one should face troubles just because he had some personal problems at home. Of course, that’s wrong but that’s how he came so far. Selfless care and hard work by depreciation.<br/>
Ha! What far? From college graduation to working in a café? Or from Busan to Seoul? Second was at least somewhat satisfactory in his eyes. Might as well dress up and go to the café. He wasn’t being productive being late, sitting in the house. Grunting as usual over his rusty lock and again almost falling down the flight of stairs down his apartment, he finally headed out to work. No cats or old people in the park made him feel a little empty. Just a little. Not thinking much about last night and still bonking his head on the glass door of the café showed how absent minded he was today. He rubbed his hand on the silly injury while he went in to tie the apron in the kitchen.<br/>
“ What are you doing here mister?”, Aunt park asked standing behind his shoulder.<br/>
“Tying the apron? Am I on the cash counter today? I’ll just remove it then”, he swiftly removed it.<br/>
“No kid. I’m asking what are you doing here when you have a break today and are supposed to take some rest?”<br/>
“It’s not Saturday. I don’t have my break on Fridays. It’s a work day.”<br/>
“ Not when you have damn big black bags under your eyes. You will scare the customers away.”<br/>
“ So, kitchen duty?”<br/>
“ And freak out my oven so that it stops working? She is sensitive and doesn’t like to work with zombie people. Leave!”<br/>
“But the customers wil…”<br/>
“_will get their coffee a little late if you don’t leave now and let me go back to work!”<br/>
That was the first time for Jungkook when he was forced to sleep instead of working. Still confused but mostly tired and thankful to aunt park, he went back to his house and slept on the floor.<br/>
It was 2 pm when the dogs started barking again and Jungkook woke up feeling a little better. He looked at the pitiful couch and decided to go to IKEA. Because if he wants to watch avengers again in his crying nest, he surely can’t do it on the floor. He could have just ordered online but preferred going there physically and touching all the different material available. Velvet, matte finish, textile or just faux leather, Jungkook liked running his hand over them all and pretending like he is some furniture connoisseur. Surely it didn’t exist in reality but if Sherlock can be the only consulting detective, he could surely be an imaginary sofa expert.<br/>
The only issue? He knew nothing much about them. He just liked ranking the sofas on the basis of how they felt to touch. When all the sofas felt amazing, he was perplexed. So, he decided to follow the next step that a normal human would choose. Bouncing on each of them and figuring out which one is the best to sleep on, drink beer alone on Christmas and still wake up with no back aches. Technically not the best requirements to look for, but eh! Who cares? And Kookie went out on his adventures of jumpy land bravely fighting the demons of toe-stubbing sofa legs and taking sips of the deep sleep-inducing soft cushions. After almost finalising the One, he heard a weird moaning sound playing really loudly near him. He turned around, ready to deeply judge the person responsible for this but found everyone doing the same. Soon the sound stopped and everyone awkwardly went back to their shopping. He silently turned around back to get the order paid and ready for delivery when he found out that one of his pockets felt lighter than before. His phone? OH GOD HIS PHONE!<br/>
He probably dropped it in one of the sofas out of the 7 he was jumping and it decided to play hide and seek with him. Here he was. Stupidly throwing around the cushions of each couch just to find his phone while the manager was on the verge of calling the security. He mentally cried out to god that if he finds his phone and buys the sofa safely, he will give apples to everyone on Christmas day. This, kids, is what happens when you are stressed and have irrelevant thoughts. Because then you make fruity promises to god.<br/>
He finally found the phone in the last of the neat and clean sofas which were a part of the pillow pile now. The moaning noise began again and Kookie looked down to find that his phone was at fault. Jimin. That fool had changed his ringtone to porn audio as a prank and now he was going to die. Fuck Christmas and the heavens, he will gladly go to hell for killing that midget. Who changes your ringtone to porn when you are sad? Apparently Jimin took the device when Jungkook was in the bathroom and even had the audacity to later lecture him about soaps…<br/>
Brilliant. Now all he could do was pretend like it wasn’t his fault for the indecency, walk off with the payments and curse Jimin. But when does a planned plan work? Not mostly for Jungkook it seemed. A hand on his shoulder threw him off his mindset of the extremely well fashioned idea. Yoongi was touching him, dressed in a blue uniform. He was working for IKEA…where Jungkook just made a great scene. Thank you God for this day!<br/>
“ So, you will clean this up? Or should I…”<br/>
“No! I will set it all like before! I’m so sorry for the moans! It's just that Jimin just comes with it a lot! That’s his ringtone! I’m so sorry!” Jungkook rambled. Poor kook-ah, he didn’t realise that he could have walked off without taking the blame for the sound as there was no one who witnessed Jungkook doing the deed. What did we talk about plans? Ah yes! That they fail when Yoongi is in sight.<br/>
“ Jimin comes a lot with it? Too much TMI isn’t it?” Yoongi crinkled his eyes, enjoying the confused and anxious kid’s ramblings.<br/>
“No that’s not I meant! He just likes to come up with weird ringtones to prank with me…” the bunny boy hung his head down in shame.<br/>
“ Haha sure! Thank you for explaining. The security was just 20 feet away…” he smiled.<br/>
Jungkook set out to pick up the pillows he dropped and set it back in place with Yoongi’s help still feeling awfully ashamed of the events. Yoongi worked in IKEA and he seemed pretty comfortable with it. Like he knew that he would be here for a good amount of time, make it good as well. Just like Jungkook. Yoongi’s smile told it very well. The final orange cushion was successfully put in its place.<br/>
“ I hadn’t actually expected you to do it. Usually people keep it everywhere and we clean it up. But thank you!”<br/>
“ I am really sorry for everything. I truly am. Will you help me buy this one?”, Kookie asked, pointing to the black leather set.<br/>
“that’s a good one! Let’s get it ready for you and you can pay for it on the counter ahead” he smiled<br/>
“thanks!”<br/>
“ wait…” Yoongi called out to him in a grim voice. “ something is wrong”<br/>
Jungkook turned around, a little worried and scared. Did he do something wrong again? This day wasn’t going well for him at all.<br/>
“ don’t you feel like this is a bit weird? We somehow meet each other wherever we go?”<br/>
“ huh?”<br/>
“ No, seriously think about it! We always have ended up being in the same place at the same time when either one of us does something funny” he smiled as his eyes crinkled<br/>
“ Isn’t it just a coincidence?”<br/>
“ My granny said that Christmas is not a coincidence and so neither are all the things with it. Fate wants us to spend time together. There is no other reason for it” Yoongi was now very excited about his discovery.<br/>
“…”<br/>
“ Coffee! I’ll pay! We need to go along with fate after all…” Yoongi said as he was having his break time in almost 5 minutes now.<br/>
Now Jungkook was jittering through his entire body. He was confused and happy at the same time.Was Yoongi really asking to spend time with him? Why? What is all this fate that Yoongi is so excited about? And that lead to confusion even more.<br/>
“ Apples.”<br/>
“ Apples? Ah sure we can get apples on the way” Yoongi agreed, though slightly intrigued.<br/>
Jungkook didn’t want apples. He was just thinking about how everything was solved and stuff was bought successfully so he will have to fulfil his juicy red promise to god. Well, he could buy apples and try wearing a red hat, look like an apple or a tomato and gift fruits to everyone. Maybe Christmas won’t be so lonely and miserable this time. Plus, he might give a coffee to his new ‘friend’. His smile would be the best gift for Kookie.<br/>
The walk to the café nearby was simple and too boring to be mentioned. ( but the author will still mention it… could have made the story better instead, Euien…) They walked together, short and long strides trying to catch up and slightly looking like newborn giraffes instead. But nothing a good feeling of making new friends won’t ignore. Jungkook was bubbling with curiosity and cooing internally at the cute attempts of Yoongi walking along the lines of the tiled pavement and still making haste as he was falling behind. Yoongi’s mint hair and Jungkook’s long black hair, both under beanies and peaking out, looked like a paintbrush dipped in green and black and somehow making a beautiful mistletoe colour as if they too felt the festival approaching sooner.<br/>
Hot chocolate and latte were placed before them and the talks were supposed to begin.<br/>
…<br/>
…<br/>
Both were not good with words today and so the awkward atmosphere lasted even more.<br/>
“This is awkward.” Yoongi chewed his lip.<br/>
“ Tangerines are sour.”<br/>
“Huh? Y-yeah they are. But I like them. Orange, beautifully round and tasty! Just like good fried chicken.” Yoongi almost salivated.<br/>
“ Chicken huh? I can make great chicken. Want to come on over some day?”<br/>
“ How about today? I will finish my work and you pick me up from the store at 8?”<br/>
Jungkook loved how enthusiastic Yoongi was towards chicken and self-invited himself on a self-decided time. And instead of drinking banana milk and sad singing songs, this was definitely better. He could cook some good Japchae with it and have a hearty meal. What about alcohol? Oh! he had to buy the best bottles of soju and wine then! He had a lot of preparations to do!<br/>
“ I hadn’t thought my first date with you would end up being so silent…”<br/>
“W-What? D-da-date? With me?” When was he asked out for a date? Wasn’t this a ‘friendly chat over coffee’ thing?<br/>
“pfft! Hahaha! Finally, that joke worked on someone! I wanted to use it but I never went out with anyone in Seoul. Don’t worry I was kidding. Unless?” he winked with a mischievous smile.<br/>
Jungkook blushed even more than plums now. He should have brought red wine with him, that would take the blame for the red cheeks well. Hot chocolate can’t give you red cheeks or hide your butterflies, so that’s useless. Their ‘friendly chat’ aka ‘date’ continued over with the warm steam from the drinks brewing together marking the beginning of another Christmas love and togetherness.<br/>
Christmas was beautiful for them this year and promised to be better every following time. The Seoul city line was greeted by the beautiful loving duo who preferred living in the moment and keeping that in their hearts rather than yearning for the next time together. And two red Santa hats gifted apples and tangerines to everyone gleefully hoping that everyone finds their Christmas miracle. Cheers to Christmas and their love!</p><p>                                                                                                                                THE END.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>songs mentioned- Perfect by Ed sheeran<br/>Away in a manger- pentatonix</p></blockquote></div></div>
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